C24/1998 EXCHANGE RATE ADJUSTMENTS TO BRITISH DISABILITY PENSIONS (EATS & COMPOSITE) PAID IN AUSTRALIA

Advised by:

Advice has been received from the British Department of Social Security (BDSS) to the effect that the exchange rate to be used for payment of the British component of Disability Pensions ( EATS and COMPOSITE) in Australia has been reviewed.

New Rate

The new rate is to be put into effect on payday No. 77, 4 June 1998.  The exchange rate will vary from $A2.51 to $A2.43 to one Pound Sterling (British pension rates charts are at Attachment B).  The variation applies to the EATS and Composite cases.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong cases are not affected by the exchange rate adjustment to British Disability Pensions.  Disability Compensation Branch in National Office is still reviewing the procedures that apply to Hong Kong pensions including calculating the Hong Kong exchange rate.  Until a new method is agreed, please continue as per Peta Stevenson's instructions until further notice.

For further information on this subject please contact Peta Stevenson on (02) 6289 6176.

Manual Examination

There will be no cases processed automatically.  All cases will be listed for manual examination.

Service Pension Cases

Action schedules of cases requiring manual examination and variation by examiners can be obtained by contacting Murray Chynoweth on (02) 6289 6799.  They will be made up of the following groups:

Group Content

Group Reference

Composite cases (with or without SP)

100

EATS cases (with or without SP)

200

Other overseas pensions (which may be affected)

300

Pay Period Codes

Pay Period No. 77 (effective date 4 June 1998) should be entered.  The day within the pay period field may be left blank.

Keyfast Batch Description

The manual transactions for EATS and Composite cases should be punched using keyfast batch description $PENSIO by cut off for payday No. 77,

4 June 1998.

Control Cards

Control card formats for computer runs are at Attachment A.

SPOC

When single officer processing is in operation any reference to the delegate should be read as the single officer.

Client Data Base (CDB)

For all cases involving EATS, Composite or Service Pension, whether automatic or manual method of assessment, the new rate of British pension must be updated via PIPS/PC.  Due to the change in the British rate, these cases will be “MS” and determined by the delegate, or through manual authority on PIPS/PC only.

D408/ Schedules

It will not be necessary to prepare a D408, or equivalent in these cases; the schedule produced for dual SP/EATS/COMP cases to record the changes to the PMF may be used as an authority provided each record on that schedule is endorsed with the consecutive number automatically produced by PIPS/PC and is signed by the delegate determining the case prior to transmission to Payment Administration.  All such cases can be identified from the manual schedules  (i.e. group 100, 200) and the new British rates should be deducted from the examiners' entries on those schedules.

NOTE:  ALL entries on these schedules must be in Australian Dollars.

CR.PS System

The Correspondence Rules and Paragraph Specifications system will generate an advice in cases where a payment variation is made.  Examiners should action cases in the following manner:

Cases

What to do

Continuations

Unless the total payment varies, the PIPS/PC Advices screen should be accessed and production of an automatic advice suppressed.  The advice Indicator on the Action Schedule should be set to “Z”.

Variations

Where a variation in total payments results the PIPS/PC Advice screen should be accessed and the Supress Income/Asset List Indicator set to “Y”.  This will result in production of a variation advice with no income and asset details.  The Advice Indicator on the Action Schedule should be set to “Y”.

Computer Processing

Computer processing will be performed by the Mainframe Support Unit in Business Delivery.  For a list of all relevant cases please contact Murray Chynoweth on (02) 6289 6799.

Contact Officer

The contact officer for this exercise is Tiffany McIntyre (02) 6289 6398.

  BRITISH PENSION

GENERAL INCREASE &    REVALUATIONS

INPUT WORK SHEET

************************************

***

BRITISH   PENSION

***

***

***

***

     RATES   CHARTS

***

************************************

Effective Date for OFFICERS & WIDOWS

4-Jun-98

Effective Date for OTHER RANKS

4-Jun-98

EXCHANGE RATE VARIATION FROM

2.51

TO

$A2.43

New Exchange rate

one pound = $A

2.43

OTHER RANKS - DISABILITY PENSION-EFFECTIVE

4-Jun-98

Current (Old) Exchange rate

one pound = $A

2.51

Open the macro sheet first

OLD

NEW

Please note!   This file must be used with the margins set to left 1.5 right 1.5

             CLASS

%

RATE

RATE

and top 2.0 bottom 2.0.   Do not remove any white space or lines from either

P.F.

P.F.

the INPUT WORKSHEET or the RATES CHARTS.    To do so will cause the

V, IV, III, II, I, WO1

macros  to malfunction

20%

111.54

107.99

PREPARED BY

30%

167.32

161.98

CHECKED BY

40%

223.09

215.98

PROOF READING ERRORS:If you find an error in the new rates

50%

278.86

269.97

that needs to be corrected, load the file

(BRIT_DP) then find and correct

60%

334.63

323.97

the rates then save.

70%

390.41

377.96

Do Not Delete this text

EXCHANGE RATE VARIATION FROM

TO

80%

446.18

431.96

CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE

DISABLED OTHER RANKS - MALE & FEMALE

90%

501.95

485.95

1939 War  Rates

100%

557.72

539.95

Assessment

pounds /wk

Appendix 2

100

111.10

other ranks

OFFICER - DISABILITY PENSION - EFFECTIVE

4-Jun-98

90

99.99

Exchange Rate $A

2.43

80

88.88

RANK

70

77.77

60

66.66

1 Midshipman or Comm Off Navy

50

55.55

  2 Lt. Army

40

44.44

    3 Capt. Army

OLD

NEW

30

33.33

      4 Major Army

RATE

RATE

20

22.22

         5 Lt. Col Army

%

P.F.

P.F.

20%

111.58

108.03

30%

167.42

162.08

DISABLED OFFICERS - MALE & FEMALE

40%

223.26

216.14

pounds yearly

Appendix 1

100

5797

officers

50%

279.10

270.20

90

5217

80

4638

60%

334.84

324.17

70

4058

60

3478

70%

390.68

378.23

50

2899

40

2319

80%

446.52

432.29

30

1739

20

1159

90%

502.26

486.25

100%

558.10

540.31

Appendix 8

   SUPPLEMENTARY ALLOWANCES

OFFICERS

     Officers

  Other Ranks

SERVICE RETIRED PAY OR SERVICE PENSION - EFFECTIVE

4-Jun-98

     (yearly)

    (weekly)

   EXCHANGE RATE

$A2.43

UNEMPLOYABILITY SUPPLEMENT

old rate

new rate

old rate

new rate

OLD

NEW

Personal allowance

3457

3582

66.25

68.65

RATE

RATE

Wife or adult dependent

1949

2019

37.35

38.70

P.F.

P.F.

1st eligible child

517

517

9.90

9.90

20%

111.58

108.03

2nd & subsequent child

584

590

11.20

11.30

INVALIDITY ALLOWANCE

30%

167.42

162.08

old rate

new rate

old rate

new rate

Age qualifying

1. Under 40

686

710

13.15

13.60

40%

223.26

216.14

Date

2. Over 40,under 50

433

449

8.30

8.60

3. 50 or over

217

224

4.15

4.30

50%

279.10

270.20

CONSTANT ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE

60%

334.84

324.17

old rate

new rate

old rate

new rate

1. Up to half-day attendance

1057

1096

20.25

21.00

70%

390.68

378.23

2. Full day attendance

     Basic rate

2113

2192

40.50

42.00

80%

446.52

432.29

     Intermediate

3170

3287

60.75

63.00

     Exceptional

4227

4383

81.00

84.00

90%

502.26

486.25

COMFORTS ALLOWANCE

100%

558.10

540.31

old rate

new rate

old rate

new rate

Higher rate

908

939

17.40

18.00

Lower rate

454

470

8.70

9.00

SUPPLEMENTARY  ALLOWANCES

AGE ALLOWANCE

OFFICERS and OTHER RANKS - DISABLEMENT

   When the degree of pensioned

   EXCHANGE RATE

$A2.43

               disablement is

old rate

new rate

old rate

new rate

  a. 40 to 50 per cent

373

386

7.15

7.40

Effective

4-Jun-98

Effective

4-Jun-98

  b. 50 to 70 per cent

577

597

11.05

11.45

UNEMPLOYABILITY SUPP.

OFFICERS

OTHER RANKS

  c. 70 to 90 per cent

822

851

15.75

16.30

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

  d. over 90 per cent

1153

1195

22.10

22.90

P.F.

P.F.

P.F.

P.F.

Personal Allowance

344.85

333.86

344.62

333.64

Wife or Adult dependant

194.38

188.18

194.27

188.08

1st eligible child

49.77

48.19

49.70

48.11

2nd & subsequent child

56.80

54.99

56.73

54.92

   WIDOWS PENSION and ALLOWANCES

Appendix 6

CONSTANT ATTENDANT

OFFICERS

OTHER RANKS

OTHER RANKS

ALLOWANCE

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

P.F.

P.F.

P.F.

P.F.

Type of Award

Other Ranks

Officers

1.Up to half-day attendance

105.52

102.15

105.42

102.06

Class of Award per Week

per year

2.Full day attendance - Basic

211.03

204.31

210.84

204.12

Widow

WO1

1

2

3

4

5

- Intermediate

316.45

306.37

316.26

306.18

Higher Rate

84.20

84.20

84.20

84.20

84.20

83.90

- Exceptional

421.97

408.52

421.68

408.24

Lower Rate

19.70

19.70

19.70

19.70

19.70

19.41

COMFORTS ALLOWANCE

OFFICERS

OTHER RANKS

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

Children of

P.F.

P.F.

P.F.

P.F.

Widow  1st Child

14.25

741.00

Higher Rate

90.40

87.52

90.36

87.48

Lower Rate

45.25

43.81

45.18

43.74

2 nd and sub

15.65

813.80

Total Orphans

CLOTHING ALLOWANCE

OFFICERS

OTHER RANKS

1st  Child

16.05

834.60

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

OLD RATE

NEW RATE

P.A.

P.A.

P.F.

P.F.

2 nd and sub

17.45

907.40

Higher Rate

356.42

345.06

13.67

13.24